LegoLand & Sentosa

Asia's first Legoland opens in Malaysia
 


Asia's first Legoland theme park opened to packed crowds on Saturday in southern Malaysia, with its cluster of attractions expected to transform the sleepy region into a thriving tourist hub.

An eager crowd of 10,000 people visited the 76-acre theme park in Johor state -- across a narrow waterway from Singapore -- which features a variety of rides and thousands of Lego models made out of the popular toy bricks.

The visitors were greeted by costumed characters as confetti and balloons were launched into the air amid a special performance by a marching brass band from Denmark. 

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Legoland in Johor to open on Sept 15 
 

ASIA'S first Legoland theme park, dedicated to the popular toy bricks, will open in Malaysia in September, several months ahead of schedule, the company said Wednesday.

Siegfried Boerst, general manager of Legoland Malaysia, said more than 35,000 annual passes had already been sold for the park featuring more than 40 roller coasters, race cars and other attractions in southern Johor state.

Of those, more than one third had been sold in neighbouring Singapore.

About one million people are expected to visit the 76-acre (31-hectare) park in the first year.

The park is already 75 per cent complete with most of the rides and infrastructure in place. Contractors will begin next month to install the Lego models made out of more than 50 million bricks, Boerst said.

When completed, Legoland Malaysia will be the sixth of its kind in the world featuring the Danish toy bricks after those in Denmark, Britain, California, Florida and Germany.

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Sentosa celebrates 40 years

Visitors to Sentosa on Saturday were treated to a "Balloonza", where stiltwalkers in balloon costumes in the shape of flowers and insects took to a parade at the Merlion Plaza.Held this weekend with three shows per day, the "Sentosa Balloonza" is part of the island resort's 40th anniversary celebrations which will take place over four months starting from May.

Activities promise fun for the family, with balloon sculpting workshops, balloon shows, and a Samba Malasa performance by students from the Singapore Management University.

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Pilgrims to Tibet advised to stop trek

*Above: Friends and family members of the eight Singaporeans returning from their ill-fated pilgrimage receiving them at Changi Airport.
The group of Singaporeans who were making a pilgrimage to Tibet persisted on climbing the sacred Mount Kailash although they were told that May was not a good time because of inclement weather.
They had wanted to be at a lake there on Vesak Day, which celebrates Buddha's birthday. They managed to reach Lake Manasarovar on Vesak Day, but out of the 10 who did so, two of them did not make it back to Singapore.
Ms Alice Sim, 59, and Mr Raymond Chan Lay Ho, 66, died of altitude sickness-related complications two days later.
Ms Joanne He, 44, managing director of the travel agent which had arranged the tour, Today Travel in People's Park Complex, told The Straits Times that it was the first time they had helped arrange a group to go to the mountain on a pilgrimage.
She said that trips organised by her company to Mount Kailash were usually just to the foot of the mountain for sightseeing and back.
The company arranged for the mountain trek because she was familiar with Ms Sim, Mr Chan and some others in the group, said Ms He to The Straits Times, who had organised a sightseeing trip to Tibet for them in August last year.
She agreed to help them when they approached her earlier this year to arrange a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
Trips to the mountain are usually taken place in June or later, as any earlier would be very cold. The group arrived in China on May 1, as they wanted to reach Lake Mansarova on Vesak Day.
The flight to Chengdu in China was arranged by Ms He's company and the Tibetan leg of the tour, including the pilgrimage, was taken over by a Chinese operator.
She said that the group had been advised to stop their trek on the mountain due to bad weather conditions, but she claimed they wanted to press on because they had already completed one out of three days of the pilgrimage.
Ms He told The Straits Times that their tour guide had called her saying that Ms Sim had signs of altitude sickness. She instructed the guide to keep her informed.
On Monday, she was told that Ms Sim was hardly mobile and the guide said before any help could arrive, she died.

Read also:Help came too late for 2 Singaporeans who died in Tibet

2 Singaporeans die of altitude sickness in Tibet

Ms He learnt about the death at about 2pm.
The rest of the group decided to descend to lower altitude, but two hours later, Ms He said she was shocked to find out that Mr Chan had also died.
Ms He said she met the returning group members when they arrived at Changi Airport at around 1.30am on Thursday.
According to Buddhist beliefs, completing a circuit of Mount Kailash would wash away a lifetime of sin. Circumambulating the mountain is customarily done within three days.
Ms He was told that the bodies are likely to be cremated today or on Saturday before the ashes are flown back by Ms Sim's daughter and Mr Chan's wife, son and elder sister, who are currently in Tibet.
klim@sph.com.sg

*Above: Friends and family members of the eight Singaporeans returning from their ill-fated pilgrimage receiving them at Changi Airport.

The group of Singaporeans who were making a pilgrimage to Tibet persisted on climbing the sacred Mount Kailash although they were told that May was not a good time because of inclement weather.

They had wanted to be at a lake there on Vesak Day, which celebrates Buddha's birthday. They managed to reach Lake Manasarovar on Vesak Day, but out of the 10 who did so, two of them did not make it back to Singapore.

Ms Alice Sim, 59, and Mr Raymond Chan Lay Ho, 66, died of altitude sickness-related complications two days later.

Ms Joanne He, 44, managing director of the travel agent which had arranged the tour, Today Travel in People's Park Complex, told The Straits Times that it was the first time they had helped arrange a group to go to the mountain on a pilgrimage.

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Shanghai Disneyland to have "local flavours"

SHANGHAI - Site formation work has been completed at the Shanghai Disney Resort project, laying the groundwork for the construction of a theme park featuring "fun food elements" and Chinese culture.

A total of 4.2 million cubic meters of water were extracted and 18 million meters of wick drains laid in a 1.68-square-kilometer area in Shanghai's eastern suburbs, in what project authorities said was the largest site formation project in the world.

The work has been done with "record quality", said Howard Brown, senior vice-president of Shanghai Disney Resort, adding that it marks a milestone in the construction of the resort, which will open at the end of 2015.

More than 100,000 tests were conducted to ensure the quality of the site formation, which started on April 8 last year.

"Today marks a significant milestone in the development of Shanghai Disney Resort," said Bill Ernest, president and managing director (Asia) of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

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Singapore's first kids club, the Port of Lost Wonder (POLW), officially opens today at Sentosa's Palawan Beach.

Spanning 6,177 square metres, the new attraction features a pirate ship water-play area, picnic decks, outdoor play areas for toddlers, F&B and retail outlets as well as indoor and outdoor activities.

The pirate ship water-play area can accommodate up to 100 kids and adults are allowed within the area if they are accompanying their children.

POLW Wonder Crew will also be stationed to ensure safety at all times.

An outdoor play area called Curiosity Island lets children participate in various activities and an air-conditioned Play Den provides a comfortable hideout.

A toddlers' play area called Hatch Patch allows little ones to crawl and roll around, while families can hold picnics on The Deck.

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From its interior furnishing down to its entertainment offerings and cuisine, Italian cruise liner Costa Victoria prides itself as being quintessentially Italian.

Its tagline reads 'Cruising Italian Style' and with good reason - the moment you step onto the ship, you are greeted by a cheery couple wearing Italian folk costumes in the colours of red, green and white.

Having opened a local office in March, Costa Cruises will use Singapore as a regional hub for the Victoria, with plans to deploy more ships for Southeast Asia.

The Costa Victoria made its maiden voyage to Singapore on April 30 and will return in November for its Singapore-based sailings to Malaysia and Thailand.

Eleven sailings of three, four and seven nights have been scheduled.

The cruise leaves every Wednesday and Saturday from Nov to Jan for places like Malacca, Langkawi, Penang, Koh Samui and Laem Chabang.

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Tourists who end up going to Singapore now head straight for the cosmopolitan appeal of world-class cuisine and global brand names. A local Brunei traveller once tweeted that "Singapore has anything and everything that money can buy", and to some extent this statement is true.
Singapore's skylines are getting higher and higher, and buildings and technology are transforming this island into one of the top holiday destinations in Asia.
While the modern aspect of Singapore is gaining popularity year-on-year, it's the less modern areas of Singapore that travellers are starting to forget.
People tend to forget that as much as Singapore is the epitome of Asian development, it is also rich in cultural diversity, and the best way to go about experiencing that is through a trishaw ride.
Travellers who wish to take a short trishaw tour around the cultural village of Singapore can make their way down to the Albert Court Village Hotel, located in the heart of Arab Street and Little India. What used to be pre-war shoplot was refurbished in the 1990s into a hotel that maintains its colonial exterior.
The Albert Court hotel boasts a trishaw ride which allows guests to hop on a 15 to 20 minute tour around the area and this is where tourists will be taken back to a time in Singapore where buildings were not more than a few storeys high and the shops seen aren't flashy or franchised.
The yellow trishaw that guests will be riding are driven by elderly Chinese uncles who may look quite feeble due to their age. But do not be fooled, these uncles ride the estimated 10km route at least three times a day.
Trishaw is the oldest form of transport in Singapore and gone are the days when a trishaw is made out of wood or thin metal.
Now, trishaws are built to be sturdier and have a touch of technology. Most trishaws are equipped with a modest sound system, so most travellers have their own "trishaw soundtrack".
The tour starts off leaving the hotel and passing by the famed La Salle College of the Arts, possibly the only 'modern' building you'll see for the rest of the way. Tourists can pop by the campus' cafe called 15 Minutes and marvel at the architecture. A suggestion would be to travel with the roof up as Singapore's heat is just as brutal as their taxi fare.


Riding along the Serangoon Road will lead travellers to the famed Tekka Centre, which is a blue building complex with a wet market, a food court and shops. One trishaw driver said that anything and nearly everything can be bought there - from Chinese prayer items to inexpensive clothes from China and Hong Kong and even herbs and spices. This building is a Singaporean cultural mixing pot where many Indians, Chinese and Malay shop owners congregate to conduct their daily business.
In what's known as 'Little India', travellers can see the variety of rows and shop houses and one doesn't need to get down from the trishaw to see the activities there. Most shops and restaurants are open air, which is excellent for travellers who want to have a sample of Indian delicacy being served at that time. Passing by the restaurants in Little India, travellers can see many tourists and locals in the same restaurant having lunch or afternoon tea. The scent of Indian spices fill the air around the restaurant so from a trishaw, travellers can mentally note which restaurant they want to try.
This is the reason why it is better to take a trishaw ride before exploring Little India and Arab Street. Without seeing what the whole area has to offer, just wandering around would mean that travellers could miss out on an even better restaurant or shop.
Along the Serangoon Road, tourists have to look out for the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore and even on a normal day, much activity can be seen. The temple has carved figurines built by Tamils in the early 1935.
Along Syed Alwi Road is the famed Mustafa Centre, Singapore's only 24-hour shopping centre. Don't expect the glitz and glamour stores that one can find on Orchard Road because this shopping centre consists of a supermarket which sells items such as CDs and DVDs, electronic goods, household appliances and inexpensive clothing and footwear.
Once you hit Arab Street, travellers will notice a slight change in the shops, and the restaurants, from mostly vegetarian and curry houses, they'll notice more halal cuisine, Lebanese food and textile and carpet stores. Many of the shoplots still have the same tiles that it was built with and the same interiors that have remained unchanged throughout the years.
It is impossible to fully express how a simple trishaw ride encapsules the cultural heritage and diversity of Singapore but the best and only way to experience it is to do it.
Instead of rushing straight to the shopping malls and the five-star restaurants, travellers should make their way down for a trishaw ride and try some of the most incredible Indian and halal food Singapore has to offer.

A trishaw ride to Singapore's history

Tourists who end up going to Singapore now head straight for the cosmopolitan appeal of world-class cuisine and global brand names. A local Brunei traveller once tweeted that "Singapore has anything and everything that money can buy", and to some extent this statement is true.

Singapore's skylines are getting higher and higher, and buildings and technology are transforming this island into one of the top holiday destinations in Asia.

While the modern aspect of Singapore is gaining popularity year-on-year, it's the less modern areas of Singapore that travellers are starting to forget.

People tend to forget that as much as Singapore is the epitome of Asian development, it is also rich in cultural diversity, and the best way to go about experiencing that is through a trishaw ride.

Travellers who wish to take a short trishaw tour around the cultural village of Singapore can make their way down to the Albert Court Village Hotel, located in the heart of Arab Street and Little India. What used to be pre-war shoplot was refurbished in the 1990s into a hotel that maintains its colonial exterior.

read more